The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

Jamila, a 39 year old businesswoman from Kabul, Afghanistan, is living life in the fast lane, literally. She currently owns and operates a car dealership. Jamila got the idea of starting a career in car sales after dealing with a troublesome van during her stint as a program manager at Women for Afghan Women.

After quickly learning the in and outs of the business, Jamila found partners in Herat, a neighboring province in Afghanistan, and in Canada that help her fund and run her company. Jamila now specializes in selling used Japanese cars throughout the many provinces of Afghanistan.

Despite being one of the very few women who work in car retail, Jamila remains confident that she will be able to succeed in running her new business. Upon her arrival to the United States, Jamila hopes she will become better prepared in her product marketing skills, her negotiation skills, and her overall business presentation skills.

Jamila feels that after coming to the United States, the combination of her sales career and her formal training will give hope to her and her country.

“I feel that my confidence will build and my micro enterprise skills will also build and eventually, I will be able to represent a strong woman who can run her own business. And [ultimately] this will lead to the eradication of poverty and the spreading of peace.”